What's Your Take on the Wild Mackenzie Debate for PA 7th Congressional District?

On Sunday evening, Blue Ridge Cable Hosted a Debate between incumbent Susan Wild, a Democrat, and Ryan Mackenzie, her Republican opponent. In her opening, Wild and Mackenzie told voters a bit about themselves, and then Mackenzie labeled Wild as a progressive masquerading as a moderate. Off the bat, he also took Wild to task for "repeatedly" saying "derogatory things about the people of Carbon County," which is a part of her congressional district.

Warehouses and truck damage to roads. - Wild hears about warehouses "probably more than almost anything." But she voted for the Infrastructure Act to provide federal funding for road and bridge repairs. She said warehouse proliferation will continue because of the "unique zoning laws in Pa."

Mackenzie said infrastructure is a "balancing act," and has worked with local officials to "reduce the impact" of new development." 

(Blogger comment) - This is primarily a question for state officials. 

What specific steps would you take to lower costs for working families? - Mackenzie said, "families all across our country are getting crushed by inflationary prices across the board ... ." He said he's never voted to raise taxes and did vote to reduce the inheritance tax for small businesses. He basically said he'd work to reduce taxes, and criticized Wild "for voting for every single plank of Bidenomics. That massive spending in DC is what has caused the inflation and high prices."

Wild said she feels the impact of inflation, too, as she does her own grocery shopping and pumps her own gas. She said she has to do everything she can to reduce prices across the board, from prescription drug prices to groceries. But she added that "corporate gouging is a real thing. ... People at the top - the 1% - they're doing just fine. so we got to make sure that we are cracking down on corporations that are price gouging." She added that the housing problem "has got to be a priority." 

Continued support of Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion. -  Wild noted her district has a significant number of Ukranian constituents. "I have supported the funding we have sent to Ukraine because of the fact that Ukraine has fought very hard to be a democracy. We need to support them and, by the way, many of my constituents still have friends and family in Ukraine. ... We need to make sure that Ukraine wins this war. This is Putin's war. He would love to take over Ukraine and then move into Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe and we can't let that happen. We will end up with WWIII on our hands and all of our European allies will be greatly affected." 

Mackenzie agreed that "what Vladimir Putin is doing is an atrocity and we need to call that out and his evil acts need to be recognized. At the same time, the failed policy and foreign policy of Susan Wild and Joe Biden has let this war drag on for 2 1/2 years, causing death and destruction in Ukraine. He said we need a "peaceful resolution instead of "chaos around the world. ... We are not exhibiting strength, which would lead us to peace"

What Can a Federal Legislator Do to Reform Property Taxes? - Mackenzie said he'd support no taxes on tips or social security, which would put money back in people's pockets. Wild observed that property taxes are a state issue. but a federal legislator can make sure the Tax Code is fair to the middle class. She criticized the 2017 tax cuts as benefiting primarily the 1%. Workers are unable to deduct boots and things they need for their jobs. "We got to make sure the 1% is paying its fair share. It would solve a lot of the problems in this country if we didn't have tax cuts for billionaires." 

Stance on War in Gaza and Continued Support For Israeli Offensive. - Wild supports Israel's right to defend itself and said that most of the arms sent are for defensive purposes. She agreed that the US "absolutely" must eradicate Hamas. Mackenzie said the October 7 attack was an atrocity and that all hostages must be returned before anything else can happen. He said we need to crack down on Iran. He indicated Wild sent letters saying she is pro-Israel and is pro-Gaza. Wild said she supports Israel, but the war must end. "She was caught red-handed taking both sides of a serious issue," retorted Mackenzie. 

School Shootings. - Wild supports universal background checks, "but that is not enough." She said parents should be held responsible for safe storage. Mackenzie said mental health records should be part of universal background checks, but Wild said that Mackenzie voted in favor of ghost guns. 

Abortion Moving From Federal to State Level. - Mackenzie does not support a federal ban on abortion and supports exceptions for rape and incest. Wild retorted that in 2016 and 2017, Mackenzie voted in favor of an abortion ban that did not include rape or incest exceptions. "I don't believe the government, or any politician should have any say so in what any human being does with their body." Mackenzie accused Wild of "a bunch of lies." He accused her of having an "extreme fringe position that includes taxpayer funded abortions. She countered that Mackenzie has accepted $35,000 from the House Speaker, who supports a federal abortion ban. "Who you take money from says a lot." 

Social Security Reforms. - Wild wants to continue social security, and funds will not run out if billionaires are properly taxed. Mackenzie said he would protect social security, but Wild engages in massive deficit spending, which hurts the ability to fund social security. Wild countered that Mackenzie would put Medicare and social security "on the chopping block every single year." 

Affordable Housing. - Mackenzie said that one person he met spends 40% of his income on housing. He said a local nonprofit is using federal funds to house immigrants instead of people who are already here. Wild said she supports a bill that would provide a down payment for first time homebuyers and a child tax credit. 

Immigration. - Wild supported a bipartisan bill to stop illegal immigration, but the Speaker refused to put it out for a vote because Trump wanted to use it as a campaign issue. Mackenzie said drug cartels are running the border and we now have 10 million illegal immigrants. He opposes sanctuary cities while Wild has repeatedly voted against border walls. 

Passenger Rail from Scranton to New York. - Mackenzie said it is "worth exploring," but it is a very expensive proposal that would require years of eminent domain. Wild is a "big proponent" of passenger rail. "It would be great to have a train. Let's let people get here via passenger rail."

Bipartisanship - Wild says she works across the aisle every day and is rated in the top ten most bipartisan legislators. She voted against her party. She apologized for her remarks about Carbon County. Mackenzie claims he has been bipartisan as a state representative, while Wild has voted 100% of the time with Biden and 98% of the time with Pelosi.